Brindled Ochre

2229 Brindled Ochre Dasypolia templi (Thunberg, 1792)

 This once common resident was found in 1883 around the new gass lamps and 100 + at gas lamps in Halifax in 1897.Was said to still occour up until the early 1960’s but no records since this date. Collinsonn wrote in 1963 the following article..-

The Yorkshire list states that nowadays this species is rarely recorded except on the East coast. Fortunately it does still occur in our Parish, though rarely. I have recorded three in recent years. It was once a feature of the Halifax Parish and collectors came from far afield to obtain it. There is a rather amusing story told in this respect. The Brindled Ochre emerges from the pupa in autumn. After some flight it seeks out a suitable place for hibernation until the Sallows are in bloom the following spring, at which time it reappears to carry on the species. A very suitable place for hibernation, and perhaps a reason why it so favoured our area, was between the stones of our drystone walls. A party of Lancastrian naturalists, apparently aware of this fact, crossed the border and were busily engaged taking down a wall in search of hibernating Brindled Ochres when the irate farmer appeared. He was unmoved by their pleas of scientific research and in due course they received fines from the local magistrate. The case caused quite a stir in more than naturalist circles and at least one national newspaper carried the headlines "The Case of the Butterfly Hunters." Unfortunately since those days the species has greatly declined. It is probable that this is one of the few species which we can definitely say has been reduced in numbers by the coming of modern street lighting.

Our old records read as follows:-

1883 Abundant round the new gas lamps. 1897 Over 100 at the gas lamps in Halifax.

These entries tell a sad story. It was interesting in 1946, whilst Sallowing (searching the flowering sallows for Spring specimens) with Stanley Sunderland, to have one of these moths actually settle on me. It proved to be a female and laid some eggs. The resulting larvae became the subject of one of a series of articles.
 The Brindled Ochre has not been recorded since 1963/4 in our area and has become very rare in VC63.We have looked for this species for the last 10 years and believed that there must be a small population still surviving in Calderdale and this record proves that...well chuffed...Martyn ,Andy and Bri